Rail joint



HAIL JOINTy Filed Feb. l, 1929 AZ f d y I. ,E 7 l I up MII v 3 Inh n-;

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Patented Sept. 23, 1930 JOHN r. NORTHEY, or 'roao1\rro,roiq'cmnro.CANADA` RAIL .orrrr Application med February 1j,.1929.^vsriai'no. 336,901.

This invention relates to raily joints in which angle bars or fish plates are secured to the rail ends at opposite sides by means of j bolts passing through the angle bars and the web of the rail, and my object is to construct 1 a strong and rigid joint of thistype which will impose much less strain on the bolts than is now the case, thus rendering it much easier to secure and maintain V,a tight joint.

Y attain my object by interlocking the upper edge of each angle bar with the undersidey of the rail head in such a manner that the f rail head itself resists lateral' displacement of the upper parts of the angle bars when i lf3 the joint is set up, and by shiftingV the position of the bolts close to the lower parts 'of the Vangle bars, which shifting is made' Y.possible by the use of key bolts having heads elongated in the direction of the length of V the rail, and their key slots so positioned .that the keys approximate ahorizontal position.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which 15 Fig. 1 is a side elevation `of my improved joint;

Fig. 2 a cross section on a larger scale; and Fig."3 a plan view of one of the bolts. yIn the drawings like numerals of reference 3G indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. f

In the drawings, lare the rail ends, and

j 2 the angle bars, which approximate in shape the` commonly employed angle bars except as hereinafter set forth, and 3 are key bolts in the main of a type now known in the art.l

The `rails may be in cross section of any form commonly employed for a given size and weight, save forthe fact that the under form anohorages for the upper edges of the angle bars 2; that is to say., they are so shaped that, when the angle bars are in position and engaged therewith, lateral displacement of 7 the upper ed es of the angle bars is restrained. Pre erably these surfaces are concavely curved, as shown, and the upper edges 4 of the angle bars are shaped to rock therein. v From this it follows that, when. the angle bars y are drawn to position by the bolts, the angle surfaces of the head of the rail are shaped to 'bars rock on their upper edges. I" am thus .enabled to lower the position of'thezbolts 3 to givethem'more eilicient leverage in drawing the angle bars to position, thus material- 'ly reducing the strain on the bolts themselves. 55j

From this it follows that either the same strength in the joint may be obtainedfwith a lighterV bolt than usual, for increased strength be obtained with substantially the same dimensions of bolt as -now employed.

I am enabled to position the bolts closer' to the' rail base than would otherwise be possi ble by employing key bolts as shown,*each bolt being-so positioned in therail and angle bars that the keyslot 5 is nearly parallel to 65 i -thenrail base; For convenience indriving,

however,the slot lis so positioned that the key 6 slightly inclines upwardly towards its driving end, whichfacilitates the driving of the key. A gib '7 will usually be employed in 70 yaddition to the key. Thehead 8l of the bolt is of the elongated form'shown', being approximately anellipse with its major axis substantially parallel to the rail base. With this arrangement ofthe head and key, the bolts may be positioned very close to the lower legs 9 of the L-shaped angle bars, their position being thus much lower than would be 'possible with ordinary bolts using nuts. While the bolts longitudinally of the joint se may be positioned as in any ordinary joint,

,I prefer to position one bolt exactly at the point of junction of the two rails, halfof the hole for the passagek of the bolt being formed in the web on one rail and the other half in the web of the other rail. Vith this arrangement the angle bars are closely heldy to the rail at the point Where theirsupport is most needed. f

`It will be found that a rail joint constructed as described with the strainon the bolts relieved by the interlocking of the rail head with the upper edges of the angle bars vand the leverage of the bolts increased, due to ysuch anchoring and the position of thefbolts, the strength of the joint as a whole is matef rially increased and the liability of loosening at the joints materially decreased.

In this specilication the term angle bar is used to include fish plates or splice f Y y l `f e 1,776,367

bars of any form. So also While the anehoragevof the angle bars is Vsaid to be with the heads of the rails, the arrangement iseasily reversed and the angle bars anchored to the 5 Yrail bases. v f Y What I claim as my inventiony is: 1. In a rail joint,`thefeombination ont rail endjseaeh having the under rsurfaces of its f v head shaped to form an anchorage vfor the- ,K lo upper edge of an angle bar or'sh plate to the upper surface of its hase sloping down- Wardly and outwardly; an angle'loar at each side of the rail adapted to engagesaid anohor- 15 age and at its lower side to hear against said doWnWa-rdl yand outwardly sloping surface; and. key kloo tspassing through theangle bars and rail securing the partstogether, said'bolts havingfelongated'heads positionedwith their i 2o longest axesv substantially parallel to the rail l base and also having their key slots positioned l approximately parallel to therail base. se 2. In 'av-rail-joint, the Combination of rail ends each havingfthe :under surfaces of its v 25 headconcavely curved to form an under cut bearing for the upper edge. of an langle bar; an anglebar at each side having a rounded y upper edge adapted' to rook in the aforesaid vbearing ;l vand key loolts` passing throughk the k3o angle `hars and rail* securing the parts together,A said bolts having elongated heads positioned With their longest axesy substantially parallel to the'rail base and also having their key slots positioned1 approximately parallel 35to therail base. Y Y vSigned at Toronto, Canada, this 26thl day of January,1929.l f i 1. JOHN P. NORTHEY.k

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resist its'outward displacement-'and having'IVA 

